"I believe that it's been the best possible decision for me — to return to my native town, to help my native club and myself," Arshavin said.
"Zenit made me the right offer at the right time as I was having certain problems at Arsenal with too little match practice."
The return to his former club likely spells the end of Arshavin's Arsenal career. He is under contract until the summer of 2013, but the Russian's performance level has dipped so low, his parent club will likely try and sell him during the summer transfer window.
Arshavin was a starter in the three-man Arsenal attack at the start of the season. But he has fallen down manager Arsene Wenger's pecking order in recent months. The 30-year-old has only started three Premier League games since mid-September, and even admitted that he has not played well enough this season.
Arshavin joined the Gunners in from Zenit in January 2009 in an extraordinary £14.5 million ($22.9 million) transfer. He was an expensive, ready-made, star that signed with a normally frugal club that was building around a core of promising young players.
Nevertheless, he took the Premier League by storm, terrorizing defenders with his direct attacking approach. A four-goal outburst at Anfield in April 2009 proved to be the high point of his time in North London.
But his form gradually declined during the next season, before tailing off sharply in 2010-11. Wenger stuck by him throughout the the next two years, but supporters did not. Their groans grew louder with each errant shot. Their discontent reached a climax when they booed when he replaced young starlet Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain during Arsenal's Jan. 21 loss to Manchester United.
A younger, fitter Arsahvin powered Zenit to the UEFA Cup (present-day Europa League) title in 2008. Later that summer he was one of the stars of the European Championship, leading Russia to the semifinals.
He returns to a familiar place hoping to play regular games for his hometown club. If he can rediscover his best form in the next three months, it's possible that he will play a starring role at this summer's European Championship.
As Russia's captain, he will be included in the squad if he's healthy. Solid play in the Euro 2012 shop window could help him land one last payday, and move on from his Arsenal nightmare.
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Photo via Flickr/Ronnie Macdonald
